Gosh So much info! I stopped at the 14th page .. my eyes getting sore lol.
I'd just like to share what I found on the Internet, as I am female and getting thinning hair that it's scary! To make matters worse, this is not the best financial condition that I'm in, have to support my family etc, so I cannot afford any expensive treatments.

Here's my previous experience:

1. Reagen Shampoo - very good cleansing the scalp but I'm not sure about hairfall control. My scalp become less oily.
2. Reagen tonic/ Audace tonic - been using it religiously for 4-5 months.. No improvement.
3. Salon expensive serums - used once and soo strong smell. Was not really convinced. It had one product to pour on head before shampoo, and one product to pour after shampoo. No difference.
4. Salon treatment - also did once. The girl said even one treatment can see difference. No improvement whatsoever. Cost me RM99 :(
5. Mustika Ratu hair treatment - my friend said it worked on her. It made my hair slightly stiff and also no difference :( This one only cost RM10 and not nice smell.

What I read on the Internet:

1. Propecia
- For men only.
- Expensive (RM150-RM220/mth)
- Can cause loss of sexual drive or ED (temporary only - when u stop it goes away)
- The good effects will stop when you stop taking Propecia (my god! rm200/mth forever?)
- It doesn't work for everyone.
- Approved by FDA and proven to work (but not for everyone).

2. Rogain/Minoxidil
- Can be used by men and women
- Expensive (RM150-RM220/mth)
- Can cause itchy scalp for some and for some, worsen the hairfall problem
- The good effects will stop when you stop taking Propecia (my god! rm200/mth forever?)
- It doesn't work for everyone.
- heard that the Foam version works better
- Approved by FDA and proven to work (but not for everyone).

3. Others
- didn't bother to read much on others as they are not as widely used as the ones above and anyway, so expensive!!!


Then, I read about natural remedies. I was shocked at the many good responses as I started to read so many forums, local and overseas about it.
And the prices are so low!!

Natural Remedies - Oils

How to use on scalp:
* apply a generous amount on head before going to sleep. wrap head with towel or use old pillow case cos u don't want to smear your bedding with the oils. can be done daily, or 1-2 in a week. depends on individual.
*wash out in the morning.
* can also use as hair oil but use sparingly.
* can mix the oils or just use one type of oil


1. Castor oil
- a variety of health benefits that are amazing. It's used as base for many lotions and cosmetics used today.
- also a product in lash growing serums.
- read many good reviews (also in lowyat forums) on it's ability to thicken lashes.
- but it's very thick so a bit tricky to apply on hair. can mix it with almond oil, olive oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, safflower oil.
- castor oil cleanses the scalp.

2. Olive oil
- traditional method to use. Can also use mixture olive oil + aloe vera and put on head.
- great conditioner for hair.

3. Other oils - coconut oil, safflower oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, gingelly oil, amla oil.
- the most well known for hair growth is castor oil, coconut oil, almond oil, and amla oil.
- depends on individual scalp response to the oils. These oils also can be mixed and applied to scalp but you must research the side effects of the oils as not every oil work with every individual. that's why got so many choices. some people say castor oil make their hairloss worse but majority say castor oil works.
- coconut oil also can be used to cook or taken internally as it gives energy directly and not stored as fat.

4. Essential oils - to add in the above oil mixtures
- can also put essential oils in the oil mixture such as tea tree oil (to combat dandruff or fungus), or lavender. <-- must put very small amounts!!
- but i read that tea tree oil + lavendar combination can stimulate breast growth lol (not sure if this is true or not).

5. Aloe Vera
- can be mixed with coconut or olive oil

6. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
- like castor oil, it has a wide variety of amazing healing properties.
- can be used to rinse hair (must dilute 1part ACV to 7-8 parts water), also can mix honey with it
- can be drink (dilute 1tsp to 16oz water if not mistaken, please Google it!!)
- as hair rinse, it cleanses the scalp from product buildup, has antifungal antibacterial properties, promotes hair growth
- makes hair silky smooth after 2 weeks, at first it will be frizzy as it's getting rid of the products and the hair needs time to adjust
- as drink, it has many benefits such as energizing, increase energy, weight loss and promote hair growth.

7. Egg and honey
- didn't read too much on this as not a fan of putting egg in the hair (yuck?)
- also i think egg is expensive lol.


For all the above, suggested you google more about it as different item will suit different person.
I'm currently using coconut oil and castor oil but only 1 week, have to wait maybe 3 months ++ to notice any difference.
I'm just starting to use ACV as a drink and maybe later on will consider to have it as my hair rinse.

Items above pros and cons:

Pros:
Cheap
Natural
Good for health
Many other benefits aside from hair care
Doesn't harm the environment

Cons:
some smell a bit (like ACV)
does not have long shelf life
have to mix yourself

But with a little effort, I think it will go a looooong way.


Habits you must practise:
*Increase blood flow to scalp by doing scalp massage - google how to do it
*Learn how to handle your stress as it will restrict blood circulation on your neck and thus your scalp
*Healthy lifestyle such as
- enough sleep
- drink 8 glasses of water or more
- stop smoking cigarettes
- exercise to promote blood circulation
- good diet - must have enough zinc, iron, protein and other essential vitamins
- heard drinking milk also essential to promote hair growth
*Avoid too much chemicals on the hair - perming, rebonding etc
*Don't tie your hair too tightly
*Don't eat too much instant noodles and food with too much preservatives.



This is what I can think of right now and I hope it helps. For me, I will share my experience once I've constantly used these natural remedies for 6 months. Anybody can share their natural remedies and results here? So far the overseas forums are raving about it.

This post has been edited by Chica: Jul 10 2009, 03:26 PM

Hi guys, just to share.

Somewhere in this thread someone mentioned gamat oil. since I didn't like gamat oil (it's greasy and smelly!), and I have heard of Cosways Gamat Tonic.. so I decided to try cosways (it's RM18). But I noticed they put in dimethicone to aid in hair shine and I didn't want that.

So, I tried experimenting with normal gamat water, just spray on hair 1-2 times a day. even 3 times is ok. my results came after 3-4 months. I then recommended to do this with my dad (56 yo), and he also had his hair growing back.

Maybe it's worth a try.

Also, rosemary can aid in growing and darkening the hair, too.
And coconut oil is good for dandruff.

Currently I am also blending essential oils with my gamat water to make it nicer smelling and give it additional benefits. You are free to try this on your own or you can PM me if you're lazy to search for the items or make your own blend, and want to buy it from me.


I'd be happy to help (I hope you understand that there will be a small but affordable fee for the items), and I can't guarantee results, this is only from my own experience.

Lastly, if you're using gamat water, an opened bottle will last about 1 month ++ before some weird things start to grow there. I'm not sure if you can still use it or not when that happens, but I usually throw mine away.